The Warriormaids Quest
by freezewind
Summary: DISCONTINUED! i lost my train of thought and never did get it back so i kind of gave up. if i get it back i may start this fic again. sorry.
1. prolog

Freezewind: hi ppl this is my first redwall fic. I don't know how to write in all the different accents properly but I'll try. This fic takes place about 10 seasons after the Taggerung.  
  
Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own redwall, never have, never will. All characters belong to Brian Jacques, except for Swiftleaf, Avalon, Maple, and others. I'll name them as the story goes on.  
  
1 A Warriormaid's Quest  
  
1.1 Prolog  
  
"Deyna, can you help me please?" Called a mousewife, staring up into the foliage of a tall oak tree.  
  
"What's a matter Avalon?" Asked Deyna. He was a tall very muscled otter, with a sword, that was a bit small for him, across his back, and a sling tied onto his brown belt.  
  
"It's that squirrelmaid, Swiftleaf, again. She doesn't want to come down and get washed for supper." Said Avalon, scowling at the pair of eyes that looked out from the tree.  
  
"Oh, really now. Hmm, leave 'er to me marm. I have a way with naughty Dibbuns." Said the kindly otter warrior.  
  
Avalon looked up at Deyna and smiled in thanks. "Thank you Deyna, I appreciate it." She said. Deyna just grinned in reply.  
  
He watched the figure of the retreating mouse a bit before turning back to stare sternly up at the tree. "Swiftleaf Reguba Treeflyer. Get your bushtailed self down here this instant." Deyna called up into the tree.  
  
"No, Sift don' wanna come down. Don' need a baf." The little squirrelmaid called down to Deyna.  
  
"All right then, you stay up there matey. I'll jus' give yer supper to Skipper then. Ahoy Skip, wot do ye say to an extra helpin' of vittles." he called to another otter who was heading for the oak.  
  
"Did ye say extra Redwall vittles? O' course I'll take 'em." Said the Skipper of otters. He was fairly tall but still a full head shorter than Deyna. Skipper was powerfully built, with tattoos from the tips of his ears to his footpaws.  
  
"No! Don' give Sifts supper to Skip. 'E's big enough al'edy. I comin' down." Swift yelled. In seconds she was on a branch in front of the otters hanging by her tail.  
  
"Ahoy little mate. Wot say you, me an' the warrior go get us some vittles?" asked Skipper untangling the little squirrels tail from the branch, and placing her on his shoulders.  
  
"Yeah time f'r vikkles." Cried the Dibbun as the three creatures walked through the Main Abbey door and into Great Hall.  
  
That's it for know. I know this chapter was a bit short but they will get longer as the story progresses. Please R&R. 


	2. the beginning

1.1.1 A Warriormaid's Quest  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
The Beginning  
  
Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own Redwall, never have, and never will. All characters belong to Brian Jacques.  
  
My characters are all the names that you might not recognize. The only ones I don't own are Deyna, Nimbalo, and Abbess Mhera.  
  
2 seasons after Prolog…  
  
The bright autumn sun beamed down on the Abbey of Redwall. A light breeze passed through the Abbey causing the grass to sway back and forth. The grounds of the building were deserted because it is suppertime at the Abbey and every beast is inside enjoying a warm meal in Cavern Hole. Everyone was happy and content… but that was all about to change, trouble is heading for the Abbey.  
  
"Yum that was that was a great supper Friar Maple." Said Swiftleaf. She wore a green tunic over her dark red fur, with a black leather belt, around her waist. A sling, a pouch full of river pebbles, and small dagger were attached to it.  
  
"Why thank you Swift." Said the old mouse cook, nodding his head in appreciation at the squirrelmaids' compliment. The Friar was a chubby little mouse who wore a white apron over his brown habit and a chef's hat on top of his head.  
  
"Well I got chores to finish. It's autumn so you know what that means" said Swift Looking at the mouse.  
  
"Harvest, harvest, harvest." The two beasts coursed together grinning.  
  
"I'll see y' later Friar. Bye." She called as she took off toward the orchard.  
  
Swift was up in the boughs of one of Redwalls many apple trees picking only the biggest apples and leaving the smaller ones to grow more.  
  
As she dumped her load of apples into a basket below the tree she could hear the sounds of her fellow Redwaller's singing lustily as the harvested that years crops. She was about to move on to the pear tree next to her when her sharp ears picked up another noise coming from the other side of the north wall. Stopping what she was doing she jumped down out of the tree and took off to the north wall stairs. She whizzed past other Abbey dwellers as fast as she could, all she was to them was a red blur. She took long jumps up the stairs reaching the top in seconds.  
  
When she reached the top, Swift slowly lifted her heads over the battlements until her deep brown eyes could see over the top. What she saw just about turned her dark red fur white. In front of her materializing out of Mossflower were vermin in 5 ranks of 10 wide and a 100 deep.  
  
Swift snapped out of her trance and flung herself from the ramparts. She landed in a tall oak that was close to the north wall. Jumping from the leafy boughs of the tree she hit the ground and ran to the gatehouse as fast as she could to find Deyna. But whom she ran into instead was Nimbalo.  
  
"Whoa, wot's the rush young 'un?" asked the warriormouse looking down at Swift. He was quite small for a mouse. He wore a yellow tunic and a red bandanna tied around his neck. A sling and a sword were at his sides. Seeing the look on her face he became serious "Swift wot's wrong pal?"  
  
"Nimbalo, there's vermin. Thousands of them, heading towards the Abbey. Where's Deyna?" The young maid gasped out in one breath.  
  
"In the gatehouse. Come on lets go an' get 'em." Said Nimbalo already running ahead of the squirrel towards the west side of the Abbey. Even though she was exhausted she kept pace with the warrior.  
  
"Deyna!!" the two creatures cried as they burst through the gatehouse door. Swift collapsed against the doorframe trying to regain her breath.  
  
Deyna whirled around to face them. "Wot's wrong. Nimbalo, Swiftleaf?" questioned the otter looking from one creature to the other with confusion written on his face.  
  
Nimbalo nodded at Swift. "You tell'em mate."  
  
"Vermin, coming towards north side of Abbey. Thousands of the scum." Swift said still trying to regain her breath. Deyna growled menacingly and bounded over his two friends. "'Ere we go again." Swift said grabbing a longbow and a quiver full of arrows, while Nimbalo grabbed two javelins. After Swift stringed her bow, they followed after Deyna.  
  
Abbess Mhera was just walking out of the Abbey building's main doors when she saw her younger brother, Deyna, charging up the north wall stairs followed by Nimbalo and Swift. All three where carrying a weapon. Deyna had the great sword of Martin the Warrior, Nimbalo had two javelins, and Swift had a bow with a quiver full of arrows over her left shoulder.  
  
Mhera sensed that something was amiss and quickly called out, "Dibbuns. Come here quickly please."  
  
All the Dibbuns that were out side came running at her call. "You Muvver Abbess." The abbey babes chorused together.  
  
"Yes my little ones. Head inside we're going to play indoor games for a bit." The Dibbuns looked like they were about to object. One of the ringleaders, a mousebabe named Simon, piped up, "Wot kind of games?" he asked.  
  
"Hmm how about a maze made out of empty barrels and at the center is a prize." Suggested the abbess.  
  
"Wot kind of pize?"  
  
"Candied Chestnuts."  
  
"Hooray!" Cried the babes as they ran inside the Abbey.  
  
Back on the wall top Deyna was crouched down behind the edge of the wall viewing the army down below.  
  
He was about to sit down and discuss the situation with his friends when a voice hailed him from the ground below, "I wants to talk wit the beast in charge." Swift and the others peered over the edge and down at the speaker, a weasel. The young squirrel was notching a shaft to her bow when the Abbess came up and put a restraining paw on her shoulder.  
  
"They haven't attacked us yet young one." Said the Abbess. Swiftleaf nodded and lowered her bow. "Let me speak with them Deyna." She said turning to her brother. Deyna looked back and down at his older sister and stepped aside giving her some space.  
  
"Can I help you?"  
  
"Yeah, ye can. Us un's want yer Abbey." Called up the weasel. His remark was followed by sniggers from his vast horde.  
  
The Abbess shook her head as she answered, "I'm sorry but I can not do that. This Abbey does not belong to me it belongs to every creature within these walls.  
  
"Then we'll take yer Abbey by force and use every creature that we don't slay as our slaves. Wot do ye say to that Abbess." He said bowing in mock respect.  
  
"Plenty, but I won't. What I have to say is not proper for an Abbess. I'll let some of this Abbey's defenders say it for me." She called back as she headed down the stairs.  
  
"After you, Swift, mate." Deyna said allowing the young squirrelmaid to berate the vermin first.  
  
"Thank you Deyna." She hopped up and stood behind the ramparts. She pulled the sting taught and called down to the Weasel leader and his army. "We'll never let you take our Abbey, snotnose. Not you or any of your vermin idiots."  
  
"Ha wot happened to the other two creatures that were up there with you. Did they run and hide?" Called up a rat that was standing beside the weasel.  
  
Deyna and Nimbalo stood up and hefted a javelin apiece. "Get lost mangefur or ye won't live to see tomorrow." Called down Redwall's Champion raising his javelin a little higher to emphasize his point.  
  
"Ha I doubt that a streamwalloper, a squirrelmaid, an' a runt mouse like you could do us any harm." Called up the rat. His comrades in arms nodded their heads in agreement.  
  
"Wot do ye say, buckoes. Shall we show them wot three helpless Abbey beasts can do?" said Deyna barring his sharp pointed teeth in a malicious grin.  
  
His friends nodded and loose their shafts of destruction, and calling out the Abbey battle cry, "Reeeeeedwaaaaallll!!"  
  
Three members of the horde lay slain all had been standing around the weasel leader.  
  
"Leave now fishbait. Or my next arrow will go straight through your black heart Cap'n." Swift called down mockingly.  
  
"This means war Redwaller's. Ye'll all be dead or my slaves before the seasons through." Called the weasel as he and his horde disappeared into Mossflower Wood.  
  
Deyna's sharp eyes watched as the army dissipated into the trees. "Look like we'll need some help." He muttered to himself. "Swift, I need you to go an' find Log a Log, the Guosim, an' the rest of Holt Streambank.  
  
"Aye, aye Deyna." She said getting ready to jump into the woods.  
  
"Be careful Swift. With those vermin out there, you can't pull none of yer tricks. Understand." The young squirrelmaid nodded her head and jumped from the wall top and disappeared into Mossflower. 


	3. The Search

Freezewind: hi ppl this is my first Redwall fic. I don't know how to write in all the different accents properly but I'll try. This fic takes place about 10 seasons after the Taggerung.  
  
Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own Redwall, never have, and never will. All characters belong to Brian Jacques.  
  
My characters are all the names that you might not recognize, (Snow is my character.)  
  
1.1.1  
  
1.1.2 A Warriormaids Quest  
  
1.1.2.1 Chapter 2: The Search  
  
Swiftleaf had been searching Mossflower for about three hours when she decided to take a break. Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting dark shadows everywhere on the ground below. From where she sat Swift could hear the flowing current of the River Moss as the water crashed lightly against the rock protruding from its surface.  
  
"Sheesh, the Guosim are 'arder to find than a missin' Dibbun." Swift was about to look head south and look for the shrews when she heard dozens of deep bass voices singing in the west:  
  
"You stay aft an' I'll stay fore,  
  
Mind that rock an' watch the shore,  
  
Like good shipmates you an' me  
  
Roll down to meat the sea!  
  
Fast as fast as you can wish,  
  
Through the waters like a fish,  
  
Our ole craft do wend its way,  
  
On this bright summers day.  
  
Wid spray in yore face  
  
An' a crackin' pave,  
  
An' a runnin' stream afore,  
  
If y' never lack a wind at y' back  
  
Then who could ask for more.  
  
Ooooooh rum a doodle aye doh  
  
Go where I go,  
  
Rum a doodle aye doh follow me!"  
  
Swift grinned and breathed one word "Guosim," she shouldered her bow and took off through the trees towards the voices of the singing shrews.  
  
Swift poked her head through the leaves of the ash tree she was in and saw 4 log boats skimming down stream. Each boat was filled with 6 shrews apiece. The young Redwaller did a quick judge, of the distance between the boats and the tree, and jumped. She landed on the prow of the first boat as it went skimming by the ash.  
  
Swift turned so she was facing the creatures in the boat. "Ahoy Log a log. How are y' ye old water walloper." She asked grinning cheekily at the older shrew sitting in front of her.  
  
"Well stripe me colors, if'n it ain't the young Redwall terror 'er self. Swiftleaf Reguba Treeflyer, how y' been treejumper?" asked Log a log. He was tall for a shrew with a green vest, a brightly colored headband, and a rapier tucked into a brown belt; you could tell he was a figure of authority.  
  
"Jus' fine. Wot about you?"  
  
"Well enough. I 'ave a feelin' yer aren't out of the Abbey at this time of night fer no good reason. Am I right in assumin' so young 'un?" said the shrew Chieftain sternly.  
  
"Aye, 'tis true. Redwall's under attack by an army of vermin lead by a weasel. Deyna sent me to get help from you, yer Guosim, and Holt Streambank." She stated calmly.  
  
Some of the shrews behind Log a log had been listening. One, a pure white shrew, asked, "Are we goin' to help 'em Log a log?"  
  
"O' course we are Snow me boy. We've never turned down the Abbey when they were in need of our 'elp afore an' we ain't goin' to start now." The shrew leader stood up and turned to face the rest of the Guosim. "Lissen up mates. We're goin to aid our friends at the Abbey, an' send some vermin packin'."  
  
A cheer rose from the log boats as rapiers were drawn and waved in the air. "Thank you Log a log. I appreciate yer help." She said shaking the shrews' paw.  
  
"No problem, missie. Be careful out there"  
  
"I will, don't you worry. Oh, Log a log can you tell Deyna that I might be a little later than I told him I was going to be."  
  
"Sure, good luck to ye Swiftleaf." Swift nodded once then disappeared into the woodlands.  
  
Swift woke up to the sound of clanking metal coming from the ground below the tree she had spent the night in. Swift wiped the grit from her eyes and squinted them against the blinding sun. "Wot's that noise?" she said quietly to her self she parted the branches of the tree and looked towards the ground. She cursed aloud to herself, " By the fur and fang, they're heading for Holt Streambank. Gotta warn 'em." She took of through the trees heading for one of the many water meadows of the River Moss.  
  
She reached the meadow a great deal ahead of the rats. She ran across the mossy grass towards an old hollowed out log that was half in and half out of the water. Swift put her head inside the log and shouted as loud as she could "Sstrreeeaammbaaank!" The sound of her yell echoed around her ears. She waited about a minute before two heads broke the calm surface of the water.  
  
"'Ello mate. Who are you?" Asked the otter. She was the older of the two otters. She had tattoos around her eyes, ears, and on her cheeks.  
  
"My names Swiftleaf. Your Skipper told me to come get you to help in a battle. He needs as many warriors as the Holt can spare."  
  
"Okay, where do us'un's have t' go." Inquired the other otter. He was much younger than his female companion. He only had two tattoos on each cheek.  
  
"The Abbey of Redwall. We're under attack by a vermin army. We could use all the help we can get." She said jumping into the lower boughs of the tree and looking south.  
  
"Oi, wot's wrong mate." Asked the younger otter.  
  
"Rats. When I woke up this mornin' a column of rats was marching through the woods. I took off ahead of them to warn you an' rally some 'elp. Now I can just make them out on the horizon."  
  
"Well we'll go an rally the 'olt an' meet ye at back at the Abbey." Said the female otter.  
  
"Right I'll see you all later then." Swift said and disappeared through the trees in the direction of Redwall.  
  
  
  
That's it for know. I will try and update again soon. Please R&R. 


End file.
